1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to horseshoes and, more particularly, to a horseshoe having improved shock absorption characteristics.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For many centuries the hooves of horses have been shod with a shoe in order to offer protection to horses' feet. Over this period of time, horseshoes have consisted of a variety of materials and styles. Some of the early horseshoes were made out of iron and were forged to fit the varying sizes and shapes of the horses' hooves. A shoe is then nailed onto each hoof. Every three to five weeks due to the growth of the horse's hoof, the shoe is removed and the foot trimmed. The shoe can be reused or reset each time until it is worn out at which time it is replaced with a new shoe. Although iron shoes offer protection to the horses' foot, they offer little or no absorption of shock and concussion when the horse moves, especially when carrying a rider. Furthermore, iron horseshoes wear smooth and provide little traction on many surfaces.
In recent years horseshoes of various materials and various sizes and shapes have been tried but most have met with little success because of drawbacks. Various plastics and elastomers have been tried. Although they increase the absorption of shock and concussion, they failed to offer proper protection to the horse's hoof because of their lack of stiffness, shapeability and lack of durability. Typically the better as a shock absorber, the worse the wear characteristics. Further these shoes have typically worn smooth and as a result traction is lost.
There have also been attempts to incorporate horseshoe pads as an integral part of a metal horseshoe. Generally, these are plastic or leather pads which are attached to the top part of the horseshoe. However, having the pad between the horse's hoof and the metal horseshoe provides some absorption of the shock and concussion forces but it weakens the overall stability of the shoe. Absorption translates into movement of the shoe relative to the hoof which in turn loosens the nails holding the shoe to the hoof.
Aluminum shoes are also in use. Use of aluminum shoes is not always suitable because of their decreased resistance to abrasion relative to iron shoes.
The traditional method for fitting metal shoes includes heating and forging the shoe to the shape of the horse's hoof. This is time consuming, expensive and creates a host of problems. A forge, an anvil and a multitude of hand tools are needed which must be moved to the horse's location. Manufactured shoes are available that simplify greatly the process of horseshoeing but it still remains a labor intensive process shaping the shoe to the hoof.
Nails are used to hold the horseshoe to the horse's hoof. There are generally at least six to ten nails spaced along the circumference of the shoe. The nail heads are countersunk into the shoe to maintain the attachment of the shoe to the hoof as the shoe wears. Factory made shoes customarily come with prepunched holes in grooves along the circumference for proper nail placement.